Francesco II Pico della Mirandola (... - 1399) was an Italian
condottiero
''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...
and nobleman, belonging to the House of Pico, who in 1354 regained the family domains of
Mirandola and
Concordia, which had fallen into the hands of the
Gonzagas, and was lord of them until his death (1399).
Life
He was son of
Paolo Pico della Mirandola (?-1354) and Isabella Malaspina, daughter of Marquis Azzolino Malaspina.
With the coming of the Emperor
Charles IV in Italy, Francesco regained the dominion of Mirandola on 23 December 1354: first of all, an imperial decision ended the ancient disputes of jurisdiction over the Courts of
Quarantoli and
San Possidonio and on the
castle of Mirandola
The Castle of the Pico (in Italian Castello dei Pico) is a castle in the city center of Mirandola, in the province of Modena, Italy.
Famous in Europe as a legendary impregnable fortress, it belonged to the House of Pico della Mirandola, who rul ...
, which were not included in the territory of
Reggio Emilia
Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...
, but immediately subject to the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
; furthermore, Emperor Charles V renewed to Francesco and his cousins the investiture already granted to their ancestors by the previous Emperor
Henry VII. The
Gonzagaswho had held possession of Mirandola since 1322 following the
siege of Duke Passerino, had to return the city to the Pico family. In
1355
Year 1355 ( MCCCLV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
* January 6 – Charles IV of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan.
...
, at the outbreak of the war between the
Estensi and the
Visconti
Visconti is a surname which may refer to:
Italian noble families
* Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447
** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan
* Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
, Francesco openly sided with the latter after the
siege of Mirandola by
Bernabò Visconti. In 1358, when peace was reached, Francesco Pico returned to Estensi the occupied castles of
Marano and Campiglio (
Vignola), then went to
Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
to pay homage to Marquis Aldovrandino d'Este. In 1362 the war was rekindled in which Francesco Pico renewed his alliance with the Visconti; therefore the League decided that in the event of victory Mirandola would be returned to the Gonzaga. In 1363, Francesco Pico was forced to surrender to the
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...
ns, joining the
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
League and accepting a garrison from it: for this reason, Bernabò Visconti had to accept the peace concluded in 1364. In 1370, the war flared up again, but Francesco remained loyal to the Guelph League, while his cousins sided with the Visconti and so ended up moving away from Mirandola, until they were gradually excluded from its dominion: in 1390 they claimed claims, but only obtained a life pension:
a council of 13 judges met in the
church of San Francesco to settle the dispute over the dominion of Mirandola that had arisen between the four brothers Spinetta, Francesco II, Prendiparte and Tommasino (sons of Paolo Pico) against their cousins Giovanni and Prendiparte (sons of Niccolò Pico della Mirandola).
See also
*
Castle of the Pico
The Castle of the Pico (in Italian Castello dei Pico) is a castle in the city center of Mirandola, in the province of Modena, Italy.
Famous in Europe as a legendary impregnable fortress, it belonged to the House of Pico della Mirandola, who ruled ...
*
Duchy of Mirandola
The Lordship, then County, Principality and finally Duchy of Mirandola ( it, Ducato della Mirandola) was a state which existed in Northern Italy from 1310 until 1711, centered in Mirandola in what is now the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagn ...
*
Siege of Mirandola (1355)
Bibliography
*
References
{{reflist
Francesco 02
1399 deaths